Almost!

I came down this morning to let Paddy out to do what dogs have to do. These days I make sure I glance out of the windows to check if there are any cats or squirrels around before letting him loose, but this morning, I must have had my eyes closed. Almost before I had opened the door, he was at the bottom of the garden and a terrified, but very speedily reacting squirrel had leapt for safety onto the bottom fence and made a hasty exit. At the same time, an equally terrified wood pigeon, who had inadvertently been caught up in the whole episode, was quivering on the other fence, obviously wondering if the world had suddenly come to an end.

Deprived of his prey, Paddy then began jumping at the fence in an attempt to demolish it by sheer force, until I had legged it over the lawn, still in dressing gown, grabbed his collar and pushed him back into the house. At this point, reality must have dawned that he was 'In Trouble', so his attempt at damage limitation was to saunter nonchalantly into the living room, place his head on Keith's knee and look innocent.

"It wasn't me, gov, it was some other dog out there. Definitely not me - honest!"

Canada Geese

There were two Canada Geese on the lake when Paddy and I went for our walk this morning. Yes, I know it is not immediately obvious from the photo but, trust me, that's what they are - honest!

Squirrels!

I have found a way of providing fatballs for the birds, as you will see from this handy little container. However, the squirrels, never to be outdone, are on the case, no matter how many acrobatics it takes.

Back to the drawing board!

Service with a smile

Yesterday there was a Farmers' Market where Dad lives and I bought some apples and goat's cheese from one of the stalls. The man serving me urged me to come back soon and began to tell me where his farm and farm shop are.
"It might be a bit difficult," I said. "I live in North Wales, so it's a bit far to come."
"We deliver!" he said, without batting an eyelid.

All grown up

"Have you locked the back door?" asked Dad as we got ready to set off for his GP appointment.
"Yes," I said, "I've been running a home for a long time now, you know."
"Oh yes," he said apologetically. "It's just that when you're here, I forget you're grown up. I think you're still at school."
Still trying to work out whether to take that as a compliment or not...

Red wine and exercise

It rained during the night, as forecast, but this morning it's fairly bright if a little breezy and I have a bit of a headache, due to imbibing red wine last night. I feel obliged to drink red wine, at least now and again, whenever I read that it is good for the heart. It is, of course, a huge inconvenience, but, hey! one must look after one's health, innit! Then I am reminded that it contains calories, at least 70 per glass (and that's a small glass) so I decide that maybe I should give it a miss. The problem with the headaches is that, unless I drink wine on a regular basis, (We are only talking a glass or two here, not barrelfuls, you understand.) when I drink it on odd occasions, I invariably wake up with a headache the next morning.
So this morning, as I am not quite a hundred percent head-wise, I am not sure how I am going to occupy my time. (Note to E.D. - I have just planted the peas and beans.) Shall I go for a walk, do some much needed hoovering and cleaning or start digging the garden?
I'm sure I read somewhere that one should not engage in vigorous exercise under the influence of a headache............ That settles it then, feet up with another cup of tea.

Chilli or curry powder?

On Wednesday, I did the shopping for Keith and myself, as I do these days, before going to Dad's on Thursday.
"Get some curry powder, please," said Keith.
So I did. Well, actually, no, I couldn't find any so I got chilli powder instead. Keith was horrified. He rang me yesterday to tell me I hadn't bought any curry powder.
"No, but I got chilli powder," I said.
"But it's not curry powder!" he protested.
"It's the same thing," I said, "It's hot, just like curry powder."
"I can't make chicken curry with chilli powder," he said.
One's hot, the other's hot. What's the difference? I can't see the problem myself. I didn't even get into whether curry is really a good choice for his diet. One thing at a time...